Water quality of Marion Reservoir has been shown to be impaired by
nutrients, pesticides, sediment, and bacteria. These impairments have caused
the lake to be non-supportive of contact recreation and only partially
supportive for drinking water. The Marion County Conservation District
and others determined that an assessment should be done to look at water
quality problems in the lake and watershed. This assessment would be further
used to determine which best management practices (BMP''s) would be affective
in solving the reservoir's water quality impairments. The grant was used
to contract with USGS and Tabor College to collect data from the reservoir
and its watershed. Additionally, an information and education campaign
was conducted to build public awareness on water quality issues in the
watershed. This project was completed by the end of 2000; however, we are
still awaiting a final project report, which details project accomplishments
and additional actions needed.